NUD: Martin 0XK concert

hendulele

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The 0XK concert is laminate koa, friction tuners, comes with Martin padded gig bag. Strap button added.

Arrived yesterday from Mim, less than 72 hours after ordering! She's the best.

It's for gigging and keeping beside my sofa. No need to keep in a humidified case during the winter, unlike my solid ukes.

1) It's a Martin. Impeccable construction, comfortable neck profile, feels great to hold and play. It's a beauty. I know it's a laminate, but unlike the 0XK sopranos, Martin incorporated some nice fake grain patterns on the body. Nice touch. Each instrument has some variation, too. Check out her site and you can see those differencdes. Photos below.

2) A few ounces heavier than my C1K, but not many. Very light for a concert, even so.

3) Sound: The C1K has cleaner high ends and better attack. (To be expected?) The 0XK has excellent volume, strong midrange and low end. Both show off all four strings when you strum. My C1K has Fremont blacklines, the 0XK has M600s. It'll be interesting to see how the sound differs when I try other strings.

4) Tuners: They're either Grover 4s or 6s. Much better than the 2s that were on the sopranos and are on a lot of other good-quality laminates (MFCs, Famous/Kiwaya). They hold tuning wonderfully and yet can be adjusted with a bit more finesse than the 2s. Good choice. I prefer frictions anyway. The C1K has Grover gears, and they're top-shelf.

Overall impression: This is everything I hoped for, maybe more. I did not expect to unbox it, tune it, and take it to a jam within hours of receiving it. Played great right out of the box. Highly recommended if you're looking for a uke with the Martin sound and build that you shouldn't have to baby as much as one of the solids.

0xk2small.jpg0xk4small.jpg0xk1small.jpg0xk3small.jpg0xk5small.jpg0xk6small.jpg
 
I was interested in these, but I don't like having only 12 frets to the body.
 
I was interested in these, but I don't like having only 12 frets to the body.
I don't play up the neck that much, so it's not a big deal to me. I'm OK with the sopranos that are 12 frets only. YMMV!
 
Congrats I would love to try out one of these. Though I don't think that HPL is technically a laminate more like a particle board I think. Would be nice if they had them in different colours and patters and not make them look like some wood grain.
 
Congrats I would love to try out one of these. Though I don't think that HPL is technically a laminate more like a particle board I think. Would be nice if they had them in different colours and patters and not make them look like some wood grain.
you should check out bonanza ukuleles.
I think martin ought to go with richlite for fretboards and bridges on those.
 
Martin says:
What is Martin HPL material?
HPL stands for high pressure laminate. It is a composite material made from paper and resin that is pressed at very high pressure. The surface will have a wood pattern (Mahogany, rosewood, Koa, etc.) and a protective clear coating. It is not a wood veneer.
 
What are the neck and fretboard made of? It's a very striking looking uke. I like it.

Glad that the sound is good. I think you have a winner for a low-maintenance everyday player. Congrats!
 
The neck is a "brown birch laminate" according to the official listing on Martin's site.

The strips of wood are glued together left-to-right instead of top-to-bottom, then cut to shape.
 
Congrats I would love to try out one of these. Though I don't think that HPL is technically a laminate more like a particle board I think. Would be nice if they had them in different colours and patters and not make them look like some wood grain.
The Martin OX soprano came in different colors, but the colored versions apparently weren't as popular as the wood-grain versions.
 
The neck is a "brown birch laminate" according to the official listing on Martin's site.

The strips of wood are glued together left-to-right instead of top-to-bottom, then cut to shape.
Right. The fretboard is sipo, same material used on my C1K.
 
Congrats on your new baby. It's very interesting looking.
 
The laminated neck sure looks cool with the HPL. I’d love to try one. I’d be interested of which strings sound the best. Finally, tenor Martin. I could go for one for sure!
 
The laminated neck sure looks cool with the HPL. I’d love to try one. I’d be interested of which strings sound the best. Finally, tenor Martin. I could go for one for sure!
I wonder if Martin will make a tenor from HPL. I guess sales of the concert may factor in that decision.
 
Yes, I would think sales would dictate if a tenor is to follow. Martin seems very conservative with their roll outs. I definitely would like a tenor I HPL as it solves a lot of humidity, travel issues. Only time will tell. I’d like to try the concert, the StreetMaster T1 and A HPL tenor if it ever gets made. Martin needs to get more ukuleles out in shops…….. IMHO…….
 
Forgot to mention, I think the KOA pattern on this is really nice and authentic looking. Premium looking. I wonder if different models vary in pattern or are all the same picture? Wood varies but with A picture pattern, one would think……..
 
Several years ago, Martin made a soprano OX model with similar specs and price to the current concert OX. They apparently sold well. I own (and regularly play it). I know other people who have them and there are several positive review videos on YouTube (Baz, Petey, etc). Martin stopped making the soprano OXs a couple of years ago then they started making these concert OXs. Maybe they don't want to make 2 different sizes of the OX ukuleles at the same time? In a few years, will Martin discontinue the concerts and start making tenors?
 
Forgot to mention, I think the KOA pattern on this is really nice and authentic looking. Premium looking. I wonder if different models vary in pattern or are all the same picture? Wood varies but with A picture pattern, one would think……..
I doubt the "raw" HPL sheets are the size of the ukulele body. My guess is that a variety of patterns are possible, albeit with limited variety in the woodgrains.
 
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